Welcome to the first-ever African Muslim Film Festival (AMFF) 2023!

The African Muslim Film Festival is the first of its kind, screening films from all across Africa that were made by, for, or about Muslims. All films will be streamable & online, with a variety of films from Sudan, Chad, Egypt, and South Africa.

This year’s festival will offer four films in total, each available as one film a week during the month of March.

March 9-16: You Will Die at Twenty - Sudan | 2019 | Drama/Narrative | Directed by Amjad Abu Alala

March 16-23: Abouna - Chad | 2002 | Drama | Directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun

March 23-30: Mawlana - Egypt | 2016 | Drama/Mystery | Directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali

March 30- April 6: Barakat - South Africa | 2020 | Comedy | Directed by Amy Jephta

The festival opens on Thursday, March 9th at 3 pm ET and closes on Thursday, April 6th at 3 pm ET.

Each film will open and close every Thursday of March at 3 pm ET.

All screenings are free. Some films will only be available in North America. Check each film’s information for more details. All films will include English subtitles.

Pre-order your films, watch trailers, and learn more here: http://watch.eventive.org/amff

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THIS WEEK’S FEATURE:
Available to stream on demand from March 23-30 at http://watch.eventive.org/amff

Mawlana
2016 | 130 minutes | Arabic | Egypt
Directed by: Magdi Ahmed Ali
Mawlana tells the story of the well-known preacher Hatem Al Shenawy who hosts a series of moral, ethical, and religious debates through his popular TV show. After gaining popularity as a TV Celebrity, Hatem finds himself in a web of political discord that tests his credibility and convictions. Hatem deals with the pressure of concealing what he really thinks about religious issues, especially under the restrictions imposed by state security.

Film Background & Facts:
Adapted from a novel by prominent journalist Ibrahim Eissa, Mawlana (“The Preacher”) tells the story of a popular television preacher who struggles to reconcile his religious principles with demands and pressures from politicians and security agencies, as well as ordinary human temptations. Because of its portrayal of the complex relationship between clerics and the government, this film has provoked a lot of backlash from Sunni Muslim leaders, with some calling for the film to be banned.
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This African Muslim Film Festival is brought to you by the Global Islamic Studies Center and cosponsored by the African Studies Center, Arab and Muslim American Studies, the Center for Middle East and North African Studies, Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the Department of Film, Television, and Media, the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Political Science, and the Sawyer Seminar on the Africana Muslim and Genealogies of White Supremacy.


Visit http://watch.eventive.org/amff for more details.

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If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to islamicstudies@umich.edu.

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If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact islamicstudies@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.